A Russian-Speaking Mom Writes About Educating Her Kids in Idlib:

There was a lot of interest in the piece I translated here, about a North Caucasian woman’s view of making hijra to Syria along with her husband and others. So I thought I would also do a quick translation of the below piece, which was also written by a Russian-speaking woman in Syria, in which she talks about the issue of educating her children. A few points:

— The woman has nothing to do with Islamic State and my discussion below doesn’t either. I’m talking here about people who join or are affiliated with groups other than IS and also those who are independent and not part of any group/jamaat (yes they exist). These groups either get overlooked completely or reporting on them is limited to sometimes ridiculous distortions based on a few social media posts.

–When we write about jihad as a concept in general and in particular about how it relates to foreign fighters in Syria, usually we focus on military aspects. The jamaat is an important element of Russian-speaking social structure in Syria but it is not the only social structure. Many people came to Syria with families or have started families since coming to Syria. Women and children don’t live in military bases even if their husbands are part of a jamaat. Not everyone is part of a jamaat and not everyone came to Syria to fight (at least one Russian-speaker is working as a doctor in Idlib for example). So this piece offers a glimpse into one aspect of the lives of Russian-speaking Muslims in Syria beyond the “military.”

— You will notice how the author interweaves Islamic terms and quotes within her personal story. This is a common stylistic element, but it also reflects a worldview in which the personal and the religious are inseparable.

— As I’ve written about elsewhere, despite the war, Russian-speakers making hijra to Syria face similar issues in day to day life as immigrants do elsewhere — including where to educate their children and how. There are also questions of integration into local life.

The Russian original is below my translation.

The original piece explains that the female author of the piece came to Syria with her family several years ago and “since the education of our children is very important, this sister decided to tell our readers how she educates her children and lays the foundation of their religious and secular education here in Syria.”

The photos show the textbooks used by the girls.

In December 2013, we moved to Syria. We lived in Aleppo province in a cosy, pretty little house, which comprised three rooms, with a very pretty patio. At that time I had 2 daughters (now I am the mom of three little girls). When we came, my oldest daughter was three and the youngest was one. Although the children were small, my husband and I immediately tried to give them an education in sharia. After all, the parents are the first school and they should inculcate their kids with Islamic manners — honestly and generosity — and teach them that Islam is the true and right path.

It is said from the words of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Everyone is born in his natural state, being a Muslim, but then his parents turn him to Judaism, Christianity or fire worship. This is similar to how any animal is born with all of its limbs. You did not see animals born with a severed nose, ear, etc.” Then Abu Hurairah, who narrated this hadith, said: “Read about this in the words of the Most High: “Such is the inborn quality with which Allah created man” (ar -Rum, 30:30). This hadith was given to al-Bukhari, 6599 and Muslim, 2658.

Therefore we have a great responsibility before the Almighty towards our children. And so before my husband and me there was this task: to start to educate our kids in Sham [Syria] which at this time is a war zone. Time went by, we had many thoughts about their education. Yes, at home we taught them to count, read, write the alphabet, memorize surahs, but this was not a lot. When the girls were 5 and 3, we put them in a local school. This, of course, was not the sort of school that you can imagine. The school was in the basement of an unfinished multistorey building, in one part the boys studied and the girls in the other part. The lessons included: Quran, Arabic, maths in Arabic and the hadith. The girls learned to write the letters, numbers, counting, memorizing surahs and hadith, and also, as they mixed with local girls, they started to speak Arabic. But soon we had to leave that place, because that area was subjected to air raids. For some time the girls didn’t study anywhere, the local schools were practically all closed because of the constant aerial bombing.

My children bore the bombings calmly, without fear (in contrast to me), they recalled Allah and said that we would fly to Paradise like butterflies, inshallah.

After a few months we were evacuated to Idlib city. In the city we had more options for religious education for our children. We live in an apartment in the center of the town with all the infrastructure for living and studying. After some time we got to know the town and the locals and we looked for a place for our children. Yes, the muhajirin [“those who have made hijra” — often translated as foreign fighters in the Syria context], have problems with a lack of children’s education, but we are trying. Whoever seeks, he shall find. Soon a Russian-speaking muhajir woman opened a mini-school in her home (may Allah reward her with the gardens of Paradise!) and hired teachers. There are nine girls in the class. The classes include: Quran, Arabic, hadith, aqida, Russian, maths, the world around us and labor. In a short time, they learned how to read with good reading technique, how to solve examples and problems. They have learned a lot of history of the prophets and associates and learned the names of Allah.

In parallel with this school, the girls attend lessons in a mosque (almost every mosque has daily classes except on Fridays). All the classes are in Arabic. The children are taught Quran, Arabic and English, and also Hadith. In the mosque there are often competitions in Quran recital.

We also found a female Quran teacher for our home. Alhamdullilah, there is an opportunity and a place to study. Inshallah we will seek more ways to obtain knowledge. May the Almighty help us to the path that leads to Him!

Now my girls are 7 and 5. They know how to read and write in Arabic and Russian, and can speak a little literary Arabic. They also know maths up to the level of class 1-2.